Anansi and his wife outsmart the Sky God and win back the beloved folktales of their people.
Anansi Does The Impossible: An Ashanti Tale
Africa
Materials from Africa
Kofi and His Magic
A young Ashanti boy describes some of the wonders of his life in and around the West African village of Bonwire.
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me
A South African girl describes her pet chicken, painting special designs on her house, dressing up for school, and her mischievous brother.
Osa’s Pride
Osa’s grandmother tells her a tale about the sins of pride and helps Osa gain a better perspective on what things are important.
Under The Same Sun
It is Grandmother Bibi’s ninetieth birthday and when she travels to Tanzania from America to visit her son and grandchildren they surprise her with a birthday safari.
Only A Pigeon
Ondu-ahlem carefully trains his pigeons and prepares them for the day when he and other Ethiopian boys test the homing instinct and loyalty of their precious birds.
Imani’s Music
Imani, an African grasshopper, brings music to the new world when he travels aboard a slave ship.
A South African Night
The inhabitants of South Africa divide their activities by day and night, as the animals in Kruger National Park go about their business while the people of Johannesburg sleep and then lie down in the shade as the people wake up.
The Ogress and the Snake and Other Stories from Somalia
For millennia, Somalia has been crossed and recrossed by camel caravans of merchants bringing stories with them. Elizabeth Laird heard most of these oral retellings in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali region, in gardens, bars, small huts and beautiful old Harari houses. Some of them are written down here for the very first time.
The Leopard
An Ethiopian boy finds his life endangered when he discovers that a disguised blacksmith, not a leopard, is responsible for a great many missing cattle in the area.